Friday April 22 - What a difference a day makes

 There's something about April 22 which leads me to think I should go out birding. Its probably just a day in 2011 when I had Marsh Harrier and Wood Sandpipers at Morton Bagot, but every year on or about that date the fates favour me with a good day.

This morning it was not just the date. The wind is in the east (well maybe north-east), and its just far enough into April for this to be a good thing. Migrants will have have advanced into Europe only to be drifted westwards. Well that's the theory.

I still couldn't resist starting out at Mappleborough Flash, and I did get a year-tick out of it. A Reed Warbler was singing from the ludicrously thick hedge bordering the flash. With no obvious phragmites there, this must have been a migrant. A sign. I eventually managed to see it, but a photograph was out of the question. I also finally glimpsed (in flight) the singing Cetti's Warbler which has been there for weeks. Wader wise it still holds four Little Ringed Plovers, and a Green Sandpiper has appeared.

So to Morton Bagot. The site has been waderless for some time, and I have been restricting myself to one visit a week. But it's April 22, so that should mean success.

Early signs were so-so. A Sedge Warbler was singing in the reedbed at Netherstead. I couldn't see it, but here's one the ringers caught at a nearby site a few days ago.

Sedge Warbler

The wind was stiffening, and most songbirds were struggling to croak out more than a few bars. Up to three Lesser Whitethroats and two Whitethroats were added to the notebook. 

What I wasn't expecting to find was a moth, but a tiny micro with dark forewing and pale orangey brown hindwing fluttered out of the grass, and I got one chance to get a shot of it...which I fluffed.

Esperia sulphurella

Needless to say I hadn't a clue what it was, but the blurred image shown was just enough the clinch Esperia sulphurella which is a lifer (I think). I certainly haven't seen one in my moth trap.

I moved on, and in the field beyond the old pool field I found a Fieldfare, which I considered was a sign. We birders often find ourselves looking at something vaguely unusual and claiming it as a good sign. This Fieldfare was unexpected, it should have been halfway to Norway, but it was here at Morton Bagot instead. A sign.

Fieldfare

I reached the flash field and scanned. No sign of the Avocets, but a pair of Shelduck flew in. Four or five Teal swam on the furthest flash. Then I looked again and "Bingo" a drake Garganey swam out from behind the juncus. 

Garganey

Thanks to the Norgrove Court birds, this was not a year tick, but it's only the second spring drake ever seen at Morton Bagot. If the Fieldfare was the sign, surely the Garganey was the main prize. 

Or maybe not. I sent the necessary texts and tweets, and proceeded along the Morton Brook. A Swallow flew over, and I reached the part of the field below Stapenhill Wood from where I usually scan for Wheatears. Today there were none, but there was something better. A female Ring Ouzel was hopping across the middle of the field. More tweets and texts, during which I heard the chack calls of Ring Ouzel. I looked up to find there were two birds. A male and a female. These were definitely an #LocalBigYear tick.

Ring Ouzels

It was tempting to edge forward for a better shot, but these birds can be very nervy and friends were on their way, so I held back. In the end, only Mike I and Martin W got there before I decided I had to leave. A few minutes later the day's only dog-walker appeared and the birds were lost for the rest of the day.

In the meantime I went back to the flash field to relocate the Garganey, and while I baby-sat it, I ticked off House Martin, Sand Martin, and a drake Mandarin which flew up the brook. These were all additions to the Morton Bagot year list which is restricted to my head this year. I'm not doing one, oh no. Except of course I can't help myself.

I headed for Alcester to do some shopping, calling in at Haselor Scrape (as you do). It wasn't a waste of time either. Four Little Ringed Plovers and two Green Sandpipers had joined the pair of Shelducks there. Another sign, this time that the water level is starting to drop. Another place worth keeping an eye on.

In the afternoon I returned to Morton Bagot and met up with Dave, Sam, and Mark I as we tried in vain to relocate the Ouzels. Mark had seen a Wheatear in the horse paddocks at Netherstead. I'm not doing a Morton Bagot year list of course. Yeah right! I went to look, but it had moved on.

April 22. What a day.